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Not Applicable
This invention pertains to information retrieval technologies, Internet search techniques, and communications. More particularly the invention pertains to a system and method that automatically introduces persons with similar interests to each other and allows multiple parties to collaborate in endeavoring to locate particular information within a vast information archive.
The exponential growth of the Internet over the past decade has created an immense repository of information, containing a quantity and variety of accessible information undreamed of in the past. The main, top level, format used to present documents on the Internet is the Hypertext Markup language (HTML), however the Internet includes a wide variety of information presented in a variety of formats, for example plain text files (e.g., descriptions, source code), narrative audio files, and video files.
Several years ago search engines were developed to help users find information on the Internet. A difficulty in finding information on the Internet, which distinguishes it from a centrally designed, and managed data base, e.g., a commercial technical literature databases, arises from the variety of ways in which information is organized and presented on the Internet. HTML and other formats used on the Internet provide wide flexibility in the way information is presented. At the host level, the arrangement of Internet sites is also not standardized. More importantly, there are no overarching editorial guidelines which dictate how information is to be presented on the Internet. The lack of restrictions certainly promotes the free publication of information, but on the other hand, it hinders organization and finding of information. Some search engines access databases of information compiled by web robot programs which continually visit new web sites and gather information on them. The variety of rules used by the web robots in collecting the information, in combination with the lack of standardization of information on the Internet, contribute to Internet search engine performance which is not on par with commercial data bases, e.g., technical literature databases. Commercial databases often benefit from the contribution of human intelligence, in the form of abstractors who prepare abstracts and compile lists of keywords after reading the documents.
The Internet has the potential, which to some extent has been realized, of facilitating networking (in a social sense) of sparsely geographically distributed people who share common interests, (e.g., some narrow scientific or cultural interest). Social networking includes a first phase of introduction, and a second phase of communication on common interest, e.g., discussion of mutually beneficial actions. Existing Internet functionality such as Usenet news groups and inter relay chat (chat rooms) provide a forum for discussion. Geocities, an Internet Service Provider matches up users in virtual communities based on their answers to a questionnaire The Internet does not provide a means for automatically introducing people with similar interests.
Accordingly what is needed is a system and method which overcomes the above mentioned shortcomings. What is needed is a computer network based system which automatically matches up persons with similar interests.
What is further needed is a system that allows a person to obtain the benefit of other human intelligence in searching for information using a database, e.g., a network-based database.
Briefly, in accordance with invention, a method in a computer network for identifying users with similar interests. The method comprising steps of: accepting a first query statement from a first user, storing a first item of information related to the first query, accepting a second query from a second user, storing a second item of information related to the second query, and computing a measure of similarity of the first query and the second query by using the first item of information and the second item of information.
According to another aspect of the invention a system and computer readable medium is disclosed for carrying out the above method.